


Bunnyburrow Blues

by Sangvinsk



Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: Drama, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Romance, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-01
Updated: 2020-05-10
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:15:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 17,894
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23947522
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sangvinsk/pseuds/Sangvinsk
Summary: Happy that her family has loosened up about foxes, Judy convinces a reluctant Nick Wilde to spend a weekend in Bunnyburrow with her. Her family’s supportive attitude, however, might be more than she bargained for.
Relationships: Judy Hopps/Nick Wilde
Comments: 105
Kudos: 354





	1. Chapter 1

"Come on, Nick, it'll be fun!"

Nick gingerly closed the door of the coffeeshop behind him, balancing two styrofoam cups of uneven size in one paw and a bag of pastries in the other. For once, they were not at work and were free to see the hustle and bustle of Zootopia unburdend by uniforms. As had become rutine, they spent their day off together. As had also become rutine, they'd gone out for coffee. What was not rutine was Judy jumping around like an overeager car-salesbunny. He gave her a pitying look.

"Carrots, in what way is being stuck in Bunnyburrow for a weekend considered 'fun'?"

"All kinds of ways! You liked it when my parents came to visit, didn't you?"

"Sure, sure" he said soothingly. "But that was them coming here, not vice-versa. I've got better things to do than hang around some Podunk town."

Judy rolled her eyes

" _Still_ not in Deerbrook County, Nick. Why are you so opposed to this?"

He handed her her coffee and pretended to think about it.

"Honestly? Mainly because it's a podunk town, and I'm a city fox."

He ignored her groan and started walking down the street. Undeterred, she moved in front of him and walked backwards as she counted off perks on her paw.

"Look: There's a microbrewery just down the road. There's hiking, there's swimming, and, oh, did I mention? There's the _Carrot Day Festival!_ "

"You did mention that, yes" he remarked, dryly. "It is the very existence of such a festival that convinced me that Bunnyburrow is, in fact, capable of being a podunk town even though it isn't physically located in Deerbrook county."

"Gah!" Judy raised her paws in frustration, attracting the attention of a couple of bystanders. The entire thing made Nick more than a bit uncomfortable, but Judy seemed blissfully unaware of it.

"Why are you being like this?" she said, accusingly. "It isn't all that much to ask!"

"It is, when you think about it" he remarked, a little defensivly. "Carrots, it's going to be me, a fox, and- what is it now, three hundred pluss?- rabbits, crammed into a warren. Are you honestly going to tell me that isn't going to raise a few eyebrows?"

It did. It actually did raise a few eyebrows, right there in the street. They'd stopped at a red light, and he could see a nearby antelope giving them a sideways look. Nick stared at it pointedly, and Judy looked between the two of them, noneplussed. The antelope had the decency to look away. Nick sighed, and shook his head before sipping his coffee.

"Sorry Carrots. You know I love you, but not that much."

Judy huffed, offended. She took a sip from her coffee and as the light turned green, glared at him as she stepped onto the crosswalk. Nick saw something moving in the corner of his eye, and glanced up just in time to see the oncomming vehicle. His fur rose.

"Carrot, watch out!"

His coffecup flew through the air as he flung out his arm. He caught the slight bunny by the paw, pulling her back just before the car whistled past, horn blearing. He stared after it, feeling his heart hammering in his chest. They'd gotten Flash off the street, but appearantly Zootopia had its share of scofflaws when it came to traffic.

He half expected Judy to pull out her badge and run after the car, but to his surprise she just stood there, holding on to his arm. Even more surprising, and concerning, were the very slight tremors running up it. She leaned her head back, looking at him adamantly.

"Nick, will you _please_ come to Bunnyburrow with me?"

He groaned, exasperatly.

" _Why_ are you so gung-ho about this?" He asked, wearily. "For Kitsune's sake, don't you want to see your family? Why would you want me there?"

"Because you're important to me, alright?"

He was taken aback, but she glared up at him, cheeks only slightly tinged with blush. She took a quick breath.

"Nick, look, you're my friend. You're a very big part of my life. My family is a big part of my life. I just... want you to get along, that's all." She twirled her t-shirt between her thumb and forefinger. "I think they do too. Mom was really set on me bringing you..."

Those eyes, those amthyst eyes. Curse whoever came up with the idea of putting adorable amthyst eyes on adorable little bunnies. He pinched the bridge of his nose with a sigh.

"Alright" he said at last, giving in. "Alright, I'm in. But no hayrides. I draw the line at hayrides!"

She brigthened up, looking at him.

"Really?"

He nodded, seriously.

"Really really. They make me sneeze" he added, to clarify.

She got out a laugh, lightly punching him.

"No, you big twit, I meant, are you really comming?"

"Wouldn't miss it for the world" he said with a smile. She broke into a grin and threw her arms around his waist, and he chuckled, rubbing her ears affectionatly.

"Alright, alright, enough public displays of affection. You hopp along, officer Hopps, we both need to pack."

"Sure do! Thanks Nick, you're the best!"

"I am, aren't I?" Nick said, seeming to reflect on the statement. She giggled and hopped away, eagerly setting course for the Grand Pangoline Arms. She waved at him as she ran and he waved back, laughing quietly. How could a little ball of fluff be so adorable?

He wasn't quite sure how long he'd stood there, musing silently, when he felt someone tap him on the shoulder. He turned around with a smile, a smile that only faltered slightly when he came face to face with a very large brown bear in a white shirt. A shirt which someone had, appearantly, spilled quite a lot of coffee on.

He'd _wondered_ where his beverage went!

\---

Bunnyburrow was the last place Nick wanted to go.

Not that he had anything against bunnies- perish the thought! His best friend was a bunny, after all. No, the problem was that bunnies had something against _him_.

Take this train carriage, for instance. When they'd boarded the train back in Zootopia, it had been brimming with bunny families chattering excitedly. Once he had stepped into view, the chatter had dampened considerably, and by the time they passed Bovineshire there was a noticable circle of empty seats around them. Even the train personell seemed to give him a worried glance as they passed. He hadn't really travelled much outside the city, but on his few sojourns, this had been more or less the treatment he'd been given. And now he had a weekend of this to prepare for. Wonderful...

"... And then we'll go to Watership- they've got a great statue of Hazel the Hero- and I'll show you the creek where I decided I wanted to be a police officer... Oh! And then we'll try the blueberry cider- Nick, you'll love the blueberry cider!"

Nick looked over at the bubbling fluffball of joy next to him, and he slid a carefree grin into place.

"Sure you want to go out for drinks? I seem to recall that not going so well on your birthday..."

She stuck her tongue out at him, and Nick couldn't help fixing his eyes on the little piece of pink. Then she turned back to her phone, continuing her ceaseless chatter. He mentally scolded himself, then sank back into his chair.

These little episodes had grown disturbingly frequent. They'd joke back and forth as usual, and suddenly Judy would do something unbearably... cute, he supposed, though he knew better than to say it. There was just something about the way her nose twitched or her ears perked up...

Of course, he knew Judy was attractive, that wasn't the point. The point was that he finally had his life in order, and he wasn't going to jeopardise that by making things awkward with his best friend. Judy, thankfully, seemed not to have noticed. He'd had a lifetime of experience hiding his emotions, and he was confident he'd be able to keep things under wraps until this all blew over. Agreeing to join her for a weekened in Bunnyburrow was only a minor slip-up. But hey, it was Bunnyburrow! What could possibly go wrong?

He heard a text alert and a gasp, followed by what he could swear was a squeal, if Judy had ever squealled. He opened his eyes, backing up a bit as she pushed her cell phone up into his face.

"Look! They've prepared my old bedroom for us! We'll be roomies for the weekend!"

Nick kept his smile in place, trying very hard not to let any sign of panic show in his face.

What could _possibly_ go wrong?


	2. Chapter 2

Judy looked around herself with unconcealed joy, holding her suitcase with both hands. Then she put it down, and spread out her hands with a feeling of rapture.

"This is it! What do you think of the Hopps' family farm, Nick?"

"It's..." The fox looked around, trying to find the right adjective. "Empty?"

The place was, indeed, quite empty. Fields of cabbage, carrots and turnips spread out in all directions, intersped with scarecrows at irregular intervals. At slightly more regular intervals were some sort of strange, turning cylinders. They looked like airconditioning vents, but for the life of him he couldn't imagine what use that would be in the middle of a turnip field. The house, too, was actually rather disapointing. He'd expected some sort of carved out hillock, a green hill peppered with round windows and crooked chimneys, like the picturebook of Reynard the Trickster he'd had as a cub.

Instead, it looked rather ordinary. A square, neatly built building with red tiles on the roof and beige walls. A small courtyard, quite bereft of cars, stood before it. Judy huffed.

"Well, it's not like everyone can take the day off just to meet us" she said, a little defensivly. "You only agreed to come yesterday, remember?"

He raised his paws up, placatingly.

"Peace, Carrots, peace. I was a little surprised, that's all. The place looks-" _tiny, for two hundre kits-_ "Wonderful."

She smiled up at him, and picked up her suitcase.

"Glad you like it. Oh, we're going to have so much fun here! I can't wait to show you all the places I loved growing up! Oh, don't go in the front door, no one uses that out here. We'll head by the kitchen, Mom should be home to look after the youngest."

The kitchen, too, looked far too small for the large family that Judy often talked about. It was nice and tidy, with copper pots lined along one wall and an electric stove beneath the window. Judy placed her luggage on the floor and went to find her mother. Nick sank down in a rabbit sized chair, not without some difficult, but greatly relieved. It had been a long train ride, and a rather bumpy trek to the homestead. He'd barely moved a paw all day, and he was beat.

Leaning his head against the kitchen counter, he looked around himself.

There were herbs drying in the ceiling. He'd caught wind of them the moment he stepped in through the door, the smell of parsley, thyme and rosmary mingling with the ever present scent of rabbit. There were earthware pots on the oaken shelves, and clean plates were stacked by the leaky faucet.

It looked... Normal.

For some reason, he'd expected it not to be. Given Judy's driven nature, he'd expected it to be somehow confining, something soul-crushing she'd rebelled against. Instead, it looked just like a normal kitchen, not unlike the one they'd had back home.

He stared out of the window. A few birds flew by in the distance.

When was the last time he'd visited his mother, he wondered, suddenly feeling guilty. He called her every Sunday, of course, like he always did, but what with work, Carrots and nights out with Finnick he realised he'd rather neglected her....

"Who're you?"

He startled as he heard the voice, and looked down. Then, seeing no one, he looked even further down.

In the doorway stood a small rabbit kit. He was wearing a green onesie and holding a stuffed bird toy under one arm, a parakee by the look of it. By the tattered and sagging nature of the bird, it appeared to be a hand-me-down. The cub was white, with one black ear, and he wore the calmest expression Nick had ever seen on any bunny watching him.

"Oh. Hey. I'm Nick" said Nick. "I'm a friend of your... sister, I suppose? And who are you, little fella?"

The cub ignored him and wandered over to the doorway. He looked around the empty courtyard for a little while, then turned back to Nick with an accusing gaze.

"Where pie?"

"Pardon?"

"Foxes bring pie. Where pie?"

Nick blinked, a little perplexed. He scratched his neck, trying to stall for time. He wasn't usually stumped by strange ideas about foxes, but this, he had to admit, was something of a first.

"I'm afraid I'm not the pie bringing kind of fox" he confessed. "Do foxes usually bring people pies out here?"

"Gid'on does."

Nick clucked his tongue.

"Don't know who that is" he said with a shrug. "But now that you bring up sweet stuff, what's that behind your- ah, there it is!"

He made a show of fumbling around the kit's ear, then held his paw in front of his face, holding a small, wrapped caramel. He grinned at the child triumphantly, but the kit only looked at him blankly.

"You 'id that in you palm" the kit decleared, taking the sweet. Nick shrugged, leaning back in his chair. Smart kid. He was going to have his work cut out for him, he could tell.

"Edwin! There you are! Oh, and Nicholas! Hello dear, did you just arrive?"

Bonnie bustled into the kitchen, a small rabbit kit on one arm. Nick turned from the kit to the doe, his most charming smile sliding over his face as smoothly as a Furrarie changing gears. Getting up, he leaned down to kiss her free hand.

"Hello mrs. Hopps. Yes, we pulled up a few minutes ago. I think Ca- Judy is off looking for you."

"Oh, call me Bonnie, please" she gushed, pinching his cheek. Nick kept the grin in place, and mentally patted himself on the back. Mothers always loved him, even though in this case the pinch had revealed his rather sharp fangs. She didn't seem to mind. She simply moved on to scoop up the newly identified Edwin and moved on to the counter. Nick couldn't help noticing that the kit had cheeked the caramel. Smart kid indeed.

"Don't mind him" she said over her shoulder. "He's not a talker, but there's no harm in him. Did you have a good trainride?"

It had been the single most uncomfortable trainride he'd been on since he and Finnick had fled Greater Rodentia with nothing to show for it but the fur for a tiny skunk rug. He smiled, and shrugged good-naturedly.

"Oh, definetly" he lied. "Glad you could have me mrs- Bonnie. It does a city boy good to have a little fresh air every now and then.

She chuckled.

"Oh, the pleasure’s all mine dear. Judy's been telling us so much about you, all her brothers and sisters can't _wait_ to meet you. She's always talking about you, you know. Nick this, Nick that..."

Nick leaned back, supressing a yawn.

"Does she now?"

"Oh yes."

She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye.

"One might almost get impression you two spend every... Waking.... hour together."

Something in her tone of voice made Nick pause, mid-yawn. He glanced at the middle aged woman, busying herself with the dishes and the kits. The one called Edwin appeared to be surreptitiously enjoying his sweet.

"We practically do, Mom" Judy chimed in, entering the kitchen. "We're partners after all."

She kissed her mother, then the baby and the kit in the onesie.

"Hello Mom. Hello Beatrice. Hello Edwin. Still not talking, huh? Have you been nice to uncle Nick so far?"

The kit only gazed upon her with the majestic grandeur of a DMV sloth stamping a piece of paper. Her smile faltered a little bit, and she turned to Nick.

"So I checked around, only the little ones are home at present. Want to get settled, maybe have a little nap before the fluffle arrives?"

"Sounds good" Nick replied, throwing a quick look at Bonnie. He kept his grin in place. If he could sell Mister Big a skunkbutt rug with a straight face, he could figure out the Hopps family with a grin. Judy matched his smile with her own, more genuin one.

"Great, it's downstairs!"

"Excuse me?"

"Downstairs?" Judy looked a little puzzled. "You know, in the living quarters?"

Nick blinked, then looked out the window. Sure enough, there was the ground. There was a courtyard and everything. He pointed his thumb at it.

"Pretty sure we're on the ground floor, Fluff."

Judy was about to reply, then hesitated, wearing the expression of someone who had just remembered she'd forgotten to inform her friend about something crucial. Bonnie only smiled mirthfully at her.

"Why don't you take Nicholas downstairs, honey? Show him why they call it a warren..."


	3. Chapter 3

Nick gave off a low whistle, craning his neck to take in the view.

"Carrots, I officially take back everything I've ever said about bunnies."

Judy perked up at this.

"Really? Even the part about us being annoyingly chipper in the morning?"

Nick considered it.

"No, not that part" he decided. He looked around himself again. "This is pretty darn impressive though."

They were standing in a large, circular chamber, rising up into a vaulted dome far above. The floor and ceiling was made from polished wood, and a railing running along the top of the walls suggested there was a gallery overlooking it. Nick's eyes, the eyes of a nocturnal predator, made out small, huddled shapes peering down at him from behind the railings. Smaller siblings, presumably, getting their first view of a fox.

"Okay, I admit it fluff: You guys know how to build. Or tunnel, I suppose."

She beamed with community pride.

"Well, when you have families as large as ours, living underground is really the only option. Besides, it's easy access to the fields."

"Makes you wonder how my ancestors ever managed to raid rabbit warrens, back in the day" Nick remarked, looking about him. Judy clicked her tongue.

"You _might_ want to downplay that particular part of history. Besides, I don't think your ancestors had... a map!"

She spun around, revealing a large, ornate painting behind them. Nick turned and pulled back a little, caught off guard. The twisting, writhing thing depicted there resembled less a habitation than it did an eldritch horror from the works of H.P. Puppylovecraft. His eyes started to water, and he looked away, rubbing them.

"Carrots, I severely hope our room is somewhere close to the surface...."

She scoffed.

"Oh, give it a day or two, you'll get the hang of it. Now come on! I want to show you my old room!"

Without further ado, she grabbed the fox's tie and dragged him off into a side tunnel. Nick barely had time to snatch up his suitcase before he was pulled into the rabbit hole.

She dragged him through the twisting maze of tunnels, sometimes rising, sometimes sinking. He'd cracked a joke about her being too perky in the morning, but right now he was glad she'd taken him jogging all those times. Seemingly of their own accord, Judy's feet began to go faster and faster, until the strange duo was barreling through the twisting tunnels. It branched off at multiple points, until Nick lost all hope of ever finding his way back on his own. If the baffling layout wasn't challenge enough, the sheer enormity of the complex overwhelmed him: There were dozens of reading rooms, common rooms and tv rooms. There were scores of toilets, and several gym-sized locker rooms and showers. At one point- he couldn't be sure- he thought he saw something that looked suspiciously like a professional recording studio. It disappeared out of view before he could take a proper look at it. And still they ran, downward, downward, ever downward.

"Here it is!"

He looked up, trying to gather his scattered wits.

They were standing in a narrow, round corridor that curved off into the distance. The oak panelled walls were peppered with low, white doorways, clearly designed for mammals much smaller than a fox. The door they were facing was no different than any of the other doors they had passed, other than a small name tag specifying "Judith". Above it, rather crooked, someone had hung a small piece of paper saying 'officer' in a familiar, yet perhaps a little more immature hand. He smirked down at her.

"Impersonating an officer, ms. Hopps? At that age?"

Judy ducked her head, blushing.

"Shut up" she muttered, opening the door and going in.

Nick hesitated for a moment, then darted a look up and down the corridor. Seeing no one, he quickly rubbed the underside of his muzzle on the doorway, leaving a tell-tale scent of musk. It was considered bad manners in predator circles, marking one's territory like that, but given the size of the place he had a feeling it was the only way he'd find it again. Besides, it wasn't like anyone would notice. Rabbits weren't known for their sense of smell, and it wasn't like Judy had any prior fox acquaintances that would come over.

Judy popped her head out quizzically, puzzled by his tardiness, and he gave a wry smile, making a great spectacle of hunching down so he could fit through the doorway. She rolled her eyes in exasperation, and he entered.

The room was... small.

He'd visited her at her apartment a few times for movie nights or casework, and he'd always been a little perturbed by her gushing enthusiasm for what was, essentially, a hole in the wall. Looking at the room she had grown up in, however, it was beginning to dawn on him that what had appeared cramped and tiny to a city fox probably looked a lot bigger to someone whose household had to accommodate so many siblings.

The room had a low ceiling, with an air duct and a small lamp. A dresser stood on one side of the room, a narrow bed against one wall, a sturdy (but clearly home made) desk against the far wall. She looked up at him excitedly.

"So, what do you think?"

Her smiled at her.

"Very you. I don't think there's a single thing out of place. But honestly? I kinda expected some ZPD recruitment posters or something."

She looked around her.

"I suppose it is a bit bare" she admitted, deflating a bit. "Mainly I was just focused on getting into the Police Academy. Anything else was just trimmings, for me."

"There's the monomaniac I've come to love" he teased, and she tossed a pillow at him. He couldn't help noticing it had a tiny carrot pattern.

He chuckled and sat down on the bed, testing it gingerly. It seemed sturdy enough. Judy had jumped off it, rummaging around the bottom drawer of the desk, her tail bobbing up and down slightly. Nick tested the bed again. It was sturdy. It was also the only bed in the room.

"Could be a bit cramped for the two of us, don't you think?" He volunteered. She glanced over her shoulder at him, then shrugged.

"Oh, I expect Dad will stop by with a cot later. Or one of my brothers. I told you, you agreed to this on rather short notice."

"Right, yes, of course."

He jiggled the bed cloth a little, uncomfortable.

"Carrots, what... exactly have you been telling your mother about me?" He said, very carefully. She looked at him again, and he continued: "She had this rather... odd... tone earlier."

"Really?" She looked puzzled. Then it seemed to dawn on her. "Oh. Relax, I didn't tell her anything about your past. I just told them you were my friend, that we solved the Nighthowler thing together, and that you joined the police force. Trust me, she doesn't know about the more colourful parts of your past."

"Then what was the whole 'waking hour' dealie in the kitchen earlier?" Nick said, suspicious. Judy shrugged again.

"I honestly think you're reading too much into it, Slick. It's just- aha! I knew I'd saved it."

She straightened up with a grin, brandishing a small, worn book with the letters 'Carrot Day Experience' stamped on the cover.

"If you want to see monomania" she said, confidently. Flopping down next to him on the bed, she placed the book in his lap and leaned into him. A whiff of Judy, that scent he'd recently learned to discern even in thick crowds, washed over him, briefly blotting out the smell of linen and dust that otherwise filled the room. The scent was oddly intoxicating in this confined space, but he shook his head, looking down on the book.

It was a form of commemorative photo album, depicting a long-gone festival. It showed rides and booths, but mainly, it showed pictures of a happy family, two parents and what appeared to be a very young Judy Hopps. She looked about eight or nine, and she had apparently decided to spend the entire day dressed up as a police officer.

He let out a low whistle. It was hands down adorable.

"Aw... now, that is just outright cute" he remarked. "Sorry for saying it, Fluff, but there's no other word for it."

She giggled, and pushed herself closer for a better look.

"It's all right. Just this once, you can say cute."

He was about to reply when he realised his tail had curled around her.

This was exactly the type of situation he'd been trying to avoid. It was the kind of thing that made things complicated, and was liable to make a mess of things. He briefly considered removing it, but she didn't seem to mind. Pulling it away now would just make things weird. He curled it tighter around her, and flipped absent-mindedly through the book.

There were quite a number of pictures in the book, mainly of her and her siblings. Stu and Bonnie Hopps had apparently not changed one wit in fifteen years, but that was middle age, he supposed. There were a few pictures of Judy with a black sheep she seemed close to. One picture was of Judy on a stage, posing dramatically. The grown up Judy giggled.

"That one is from a play I wrote" she admitted. "Mister Onic is actually putting it up this year. My sister Charlotte is playing me."

"Can't wait" Nick said, ruefully. Would putting his arm around her also be part of their friendly intimacy? Or would that be pushing it? He glanced down at the book, and frowned. One of the pictures were clearly taken later in the day.

"Hey, why is your cheek bandaged in this one?"

He inspected it critically. She seemed happy, but was clearly injured. Realising he hadn't actually gotten an answer, he glanced over at her, and took a double take as he saw her expression.

It lasted only for a second. Then she smiled at him.

"Oh, I probably just scratched myself. I always managed to get myself into sticky situations as a kid."

He smiled back, just a little thinly, but didn't press the point. Judy continued chatting about the festival, but Nick's mind kept wandering back to that bandaged child.

\---

"Bonnie Hopps, that was the finest meal I've had in years" Nick said, licking his lips appreciatively. Stu Hopps jumped a little at the sight, then tried his very best to pretend that he'd stumbled. Bonnie swatted Nick's arm playfully.

"Oh, stop dear, it was just a carrot casserole."

"Nothing 'just' about it, mrs. Hopps."

"Please Nicholas, I've told you, Bonnie."

"Bonnie" Nick corrected himself with his most charming smile. He glanced over at Judy, who raised her eyebrows in mock exasperation. He stifled a chuckle. After all this time, she could always tell when he was laying it on thick. But the joke was on her this time: he wasn't trying to hustle her folks, he was genuinely enjoying himself.

"So... It's early yet" Stu said, rubbing his neck awkwardly. "Nick, I know we planned to go fishing tomorrow, but how about the lot of us go see a movie in the den? I think number D-19 is free."

"D-19 is being renovated, dear. Lets go to B-7 instead."

"Sounds fun" Nick agreed. He glanced down at the only other Hopps child in the group, Edwin the Kit. He was still wearing his onesie, and was looking up at Nick with silent eyes. Nick squatted down to be on his level and smiled at him.

"What do you say, champ? Up for some cartoons?"

Edwin didn't say anything, just stared at the fox. Nick glanced up at the others, his smile faltering slightly as he saw their expressions.

"Nick, Edwin doesn't... actually talk" Judy explained, a little awkward. Nick looked at her, puzzled.

"Sure he does" he said, surprised. Edwin was still staring, but didn't say a word. Stu put a hand on his shoulder, a little gingerly.

"What Judy means, son, is that he has some sort of condition. The doctors can't figure it out. And that's all right" he added, hurriedly, to his son. "He'll speak when he's ready."

"But earlier, up in the kitchen he-"

"I think it's time Edwin went to bed" Bonnie said firmly. She picked up Edwin, who put his hands around her neck, and mother and child walked down the corridor. Nick straightened up and followed them with his gaze, Edwin never breaking eye contact.

The three remaining mammals stood in awkward silence for a moment.

"I'm sorry about Edwin" Stu said at last. "It's not you, Nicholas, it's like I said. He's got a condition. Come on. I think we got the newest Jack Savage movie somewhere."

Nick smiled, faking interest, and followed them, not without a backwards glance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all your comments and kudos! This is actually a story I wrote years ago and never got around to posting, but after all this feedback I’m glad I did. I hope it lives up to expectations going forward.


	4. Chapter 4

_Ring.... Ring...._

Nick suppressed a yawn, and shifted the phone to his other ear. It had been a long day, and he'd never actually gotten around to taking that nap during daytime. They'd gone straight from the grand tour to the grand dinner, and onwards to a Jack Savage double feature. Judy, rarely patient with passive entertainment, had fallen asleep halfway through Savage Seas, nestling her head against Nick's shoulder. Once the day had been saved (as per usual), Nick had elected not to wake her up, opting instead to simply carry her back to her room. He was grateful he'd left a scent trail, but in hindsight he should probably have had one of her parents walk them there. They might have explained why there was still only a single bed in the room.

In truth, he had been tempted to simply curl up beside her. When he'd put her down, she'd made a little meowing sound that could have melted the heart of a crusted armadillo. She patted her paws over the covers, searching for his missing warmth, and it had taken all his willpower not to simply curl up around her. But the last thing he wanted was for her to think of him as some sort of creep, and so he'd slunk down to the nearest reading room to spend the night uncomfortably curled up in a chair. Uncomfortable sleep actually sounded pretty good right about now, but there was one last thing he needed to do. If she'd only pick up.

The ringing stopped.

"Nicholas?"

Ask and ye shall receive. He let out a slight breath, then answered.

"Hey mom" he said. "I didn't wake you, did I?"

"Goodness, no, son. I've been up for hours. One of the best things about being retired is that I can sleep during the day like a normal mammal."

He smiled.

"I bet. Did you get those slippers I sent you?"

"Oh, sure, I'm wearing them right now. Your friend Finnick dropped them off. He's such a polite and well-spoken young man."

"Good, good...."

He fiddled with some porcelain figurines on the mantlepiece. There was silence on the other end for a little while.

"Nicholas? Are you alright?"

"What? Yes! Yes, I'm fine. I'm in Bunnyburrow, like I told you."

"Everything's fine?"

"Everything's fine."

They were silent for a little while. Nick twirled the little figurine, then put it back, taking a deep breath.

"Mom, do you remember that year I didn't talk?"

"Do I-? Nicholas, of course I remember! I'm your mother, how could I forget?"

"I know, I know, it's just... I... was it anything in particular that made me start talking again? Did you do anything, or...?"

There was a sigh on the other end.

"No, Nicholas. It wasn't. Not that I can recall, anyway. One day you stopped talking, one day you started again. That's all."

"Right. Yes, of course" Nick replied, rubbing his eyes. This vacation was growing a little depressing.

There was silence on the other end. Then:

"I wish you'd _tell_ me about it some day, Nicholas. What happened at that Ranger Scout Meeting. Or if you won't tell me, at least tell someone. I think it'll do you good."

He felt a lump in his throat.

"I will mom. I promise. Besides, its no big deal. It was ages ago..."

He looked at the figurine again. It was funny, he was only now noticing it: It was a bunny, a laughing bunny. It looked a lot like Judy, and he smiled.

"Hey mom?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm happy, mom. I really am."

"Oh Nicholas, you have no idea how happy I am to hear that!"

He rubbed eyes.

"I'm not going to mess it up this time, mom. It's all gravy from here on out."

"I know Nicholas, I know. I love you."

"I love you too, mom" he said.

After they hung up, he sat with the phone in his hand for a little while, looking around the room. Then he tossed it away, annoyed. What was he thinking? Sometimes, kids just didn't talk. Edwin barely looked old enough to talk to begin with, so presumably he'd talk in his own sweet time. Given the amount of kits in this burrow, he probably wasn't going to see this one again. The thing to do now was to settle in for some nice, dreamless sleep....

\---

Bogo wanted him to do paperwork. Lots and lots of paperwork. It was heaped high over his desk, and Nick eyed the tethering piles with trepidation. He was in his uniform at the station, and all around him, lemming officers were neatly filling in forms. The water buffalo loomed over him, and Nick tried to make himself smaller.

"Salad" the buffalo commanded. Nick blinked.

"What?"

The buffalo grabbed him by the front of his shirt. His hooves were oddly tiny. He shook the fox, gently.

"Want salad" his commander said again, firmly.

"Chief? What are you... Why am I... What's-?"

He woke up, his paws fumbling in thin air. With bleary eyes, he looked around himself, barely seeing. This wasn't his flat, and this was far too uncomfortable to be his bed. Judging by his stiff back he'd spent the night in a... chair....

"Ah, fudge" he moaned. He _was_ sleeping in a chair. Curse his newfound gentlemanly ways. No wonder he'd had nightmares about Bogo asking him for-

"Fox, salad!"

His eyes flew open in shock, and he looked over the side of the chair. Then he groaned, putting a paw over his eyes.

"Kid, you gotta be kidding me!”

Edwin stood beside his chair, wearing blue PJs with carrot markings. The little kit stared up at him, unflinching.

"Want salad" he declared.

"Kid, it's-" he glanced at the clock, "- two in the morning! Why didn't you eat at dinner?"

"Don't want carrots, want salad!"

"Then why didn't you ask for salad?"

The kit simply stared up at him, either not comprehending or not bothering to explain. Nick sighed, and got up. He was too tired to be either angry or concerned, and he wasn't getting any sleep with this kid around anyway. He held out a paw, and the kit took it, leading him to the nearest kitchen.

Truth to be told, he didn't know how to make a salad. Even as an omnivore, it was not a dish he frequented, preferring to stick to omelettes, noodles and the odd fish dinner. Luckily for him, the child appeared even more omnivores than he was. A few lettuce leaves on a plate satisfied him, and Nick leaned his head on his left paw, watching the kid eat. He yawned.

"So, why is it they think you can't talk?"

"'Cause I don't."

"Hate to break it to you kid, but if that was the case I'd still be asleep and dreaming of buffaloes."

"Can talk. Don't."

"Okay, why?"

There was no reply, only the munching of leaves. Nick yawned again.

Nick had been an only child. Growing up there had only been him and his mother. And his father, of course, until- well, anyway, he'd been an only child. Before he'd perfected his 'smooth operator' routine, he'd also been rather a lonely one. And in-between those years...

He stared into the darkness, then turned to Edwin, who was licking his plate and meticulously cleaning up his meal.

"Edwin, is anyone being... Mean, to you? Unpleasant?"

The kit seemed to consider this for a moment, then shook his head. The fox looked at him for a little while, then relaxed. He was a good reader of mammals, and either the kit was a heck of an actor, or he was really okay. Weird, but... okay.

Which, frankly, made him loosing his beauty sleep feel even more annoying. He needed to stay fresh for the Carrot Festival. The Carrot Day Experience....

On a whim, he looked down at the bunny again.

"Edwin, did you ever hear anything about Judy being... Hurt? Back when she was a child?"

Edwin glanced up at him, then pointed his finger at his left cheek, lifting his eyebrows questionably.

"Yes, that!" Nick said excitedly, not believing his luck. "When she cut her cheek. What happened to her?"

Edwin shrugged, and picked up the last morsel of lettuce.

"Fox" he replied, licking his finger.

For a second, Nick thought the child was simply referring to him. Then his sleep deprived brain put two and two together, and he pinched the bridge of his nose. Of course. Of course it had been a fox.

No wonder she'd been carrying fox repellent at first.

He glanced over at Edwin, doing his best to mask his thoughts. The kit didn't seem to notice, or at least gave no indication of it.

"So, ready for bed?"

Edwin shook his head, then lifted his arms to be carried.

"Want story!"

Nick groaned.

"Kid, it's two in the morning! Still!"

The kit didn't say anything. He simply kept his gaze on Nick, opening and closing the tiny fists on his short arms. Nick sighed and got up, picking up the rabbit. He was so small that Nick could probably have held him in one hand. Tiny arms hugged his neck.

You're lucky I've developed a soft spot for bunnies, he though wryly, despite himself.

"Alright, I think I saw a book of fables in the library" he remarked, walking into the corridor. "Hope you like La Fontain, kid."


	5. Chapter 5

"It's fluffy."

"It's _very_ fluffy."

"Charlotte, why is it so fluffy?"

Nick grunted, shifting a little in his sleep. The chair hadn't grown any more comfortable during the night, but thankfully he'd been able to doze of every now and then. His dreams were troubled, confused. It felt like someone was pulling on his tail.

"He's bigger'en a hare."

"Really? Looks about the same."

"Longer tail thought."

"Fluffier, too!"

Nick groaned, raising a paw to his face. It struck the bindings of a book, and he realised he'd fallen asleep reading. Reading aloud, now that he came to think about it. Had he really managed to doze of before the kid? Nick wasn't an expert on childrearing, but he had a sneaky suspicion that was a sign of failure.

Still, if the weight on his chest was anything to go by, Edwin had fallen asleep as well. He was a little more unclear as to why his tail appeared to be stuck in something, but for a semi-awake vulpine, it was the best he could do. In his sleep addled state he removed the book, stretching himself with a huge yawn. He felt his jaw creak as his maw opened as wide as he could, long tongue lolling lazily over sharp fangs. There was a very large, collective gasp, and the pattern of little feet. He opened his eyes groggily, and froze.

The room was filled with rabbits.

To be more specific, it was filled with rabbit children. They seemed to range from four to ten years old, dressed in a variety of onesies, pjs and nighties. They filled the floor from wall to wall, and a number of them had even climbed the bookshelves, peering down at him from their lofty perch. All of them stared at him like he was a bomb about to detonate.

Slightly belatedly, he closed his muzzle with as little noise as possible. Edwin, who had indeed fallen asleep on his chest, looked up blearily, blinking against the light of the room. He seemed quite unperturbed by the audience.

"Uhm... good morning?" Nick tried, weakly. The fluffle pulled back a little further, seemingly surprised he could talk.

After a little while, a cream-coloured doe of about nine years stepped forward, looking at him with wide, curious eyes.

"Are you Judy's fox?"

"I- What?"

"Judy's fox" the doe asked again, patiently. "Mom said she was bringing one, and that we should be nice to him. "

Nick seized on the opportunity.

"Ah! Yes! Yes, I'm Judy's fox."

_Thank you, Bonnie Hopps! I owe you a bushel of blueberries!_

The fluffle seemed momentarily placated by this. The doe, and some of the larger kits, started a whispered parliament. The doe turned her attention back to him again and pointed a paw at Edwin, who was scratching his neck and yawning.

"Why is Eddy here? Are you planning to eat him?"

"What? No! No, I was-" Nick snatched up the book from where it had fallen, proffering it as evidence. "I was reading to him. He couldn't sleep, so he asked me to read to him, and I did. Tell them, kid."

Edwin looked at him mutely, then yawned again and jumped off the fox. The sea of rabbits parted smoothly before him, and the unspeaking kit wandered off into the corridor. Nick bit back a snarl at the ingratitude, but kept his cool. Baring fangs here was probably the least sensible thing he could do.

The doe was still looking at him.

"Reading?" She asked. Nick nodded, giving her his most trustworthy smile. The doe turned back to her brethren, and the whispered conclave continued. Good. They seemed to trust him. Now if he could only convince them that he wasn't a dangerous predator, he could get out of here, find Judy and just maybe-

His stomach, unused as it was to a fully vegetarian diet, chose that moment to give of a petulant growl. The rabbits gasped in uniform, and Nick closed his eyes, awaiting a stampede. When it did not appear to occur, he risked opening one eye, and saw that they were all looking at him. One of the bucks eyed the cream-coloured doe nervously.

"Charlotte-" he began, but she raised a paw.

"I heard" she said, seemingly lost in thought. Then she nodded, decisively.

"Breakfast" she declared.

And before Nick could gather his scattered wits, the rabbits had grabbed him by his paws, his shirt, even his tie, and were guiding him into the corridor.

\---

The zucchini pieces rattled bluntly against the side of the plastic bowl. Judy, bright eyed and bushy tailed as always, scraped the leftovers in after them and hummed gently to herself as she reached for the celery. Her mother, depositing a fresh crate of produce on the bench, smiled at her daughter over her shoulder.

"Are you happy, dear?"

Judy threw her a quick grin.

"Of course Mom. It's always great to be back."

"Well, it's good to have you back, dear" her mother said, handing her a freshly washed head of lettuce. Judy discarded the celery for now, starting to chop it. Helping out in the family kitchen brought back such memories. It was something of a pain for Judy that her current flat didn't have a kitchen, but then again, she mainly just ate Carrots for One anyway. Nick's flat had a stove, but the lazy fox seemed to mainly sustain himself on various forms of take out, most of which had suspicious ‘discounts’ attached to them. She made a mental note to do something about that. He could benefit from a little home cooked food, and this weekend was the perfect opportunity.

Bonnie, seeming to read her mind, glanced at her.

"So, did you and Nicholas sleep well?"

"What? Oh, yeah. I mean, I guess."

Nick hadn't been in her room when she woke up. Then again, nor were there any place for him to sleep, so presumably her father had set up his cot elsewhere. Or just given him a guest room. It was a little disappointing, but what could you do? She finished the lettuce.

"I'm glad you talked me into bringing him" Judy remarked. "I really think it does him good to come out of the city occasionally. And it means a lot to me that you get along."

"Of course, dear. And he's an absolute darling! I can see what you see in him."

Judy paused, but decided to let the comment slide.

Now that she came to think about it, Nick had been right: Her parents were acting a little weird. Thinking back, they'd been a little insistent that she bring him, but she'd been too excited about the prospect of showing Nick around her hometown to pay it any heed.

Then she shrugged. They were probably just being friendly, and she was on vacation.

"So I was thinking of showing him the blueberry fields today" she remarked. "He probably thinks berries come from the supermarket or something."

Bonnie clucked her tongue.

"Now, now dear, you know your father is taking him fishing today" she chided. "You have plenty of time with him in the city. Let your father have a chance to get to know him."

Judy rolled her eyes.

"Mom, dad doesn't even like fishing."

"Well, he likes getting to know new people. So let him have this."

"Urg, fine" Judy snorted. She reached for the plates, talking over her shoulder. "I just think it's _weird_ , that's all. Dad only goes fishing whenever one of my sisters bring home a boy... friend...."

Her paw froze in mid air as the implications of her last sentence sank in, and the strange behaviour and missing cot all suddenly made sense. She spun around to face her mother, who was serenely chopping cucumbers by the opposite counter.

" _Mom!_ "

"Yes dear?"

" _Nick is not my boyfriend!_ "

"Could have fooled me, dear" her mother said with infuriating calm, gently sliding pieces of cucumber off the chopping board and into a waiting bowl. "You seem friendly enough to _me_."

"Yes, _of course_ we're friendly, we're friends! He's a friend who... just happens to be a boy. He's a boy-friend. With a space in the middle."

"'With a space in the middle'..." Bonnie repeated, looking thoughtful. "That's rather clever, honey. Did you think it up just now?"

"No, it was something Ni- It doesn't matter who thought of it" Judy amended herself. "Mom, please. Don't do this. Nick is my friend, nothing more."

"You talk about him an awful lot" her mother said, kindly.

"Yes, because he's my friend!"

"And you appear to be... sleeping over at one another's apartments more often than not" Bonnie remarked, a little reproachfully.

"Yes, that's how close we are as friends!"

Bonnie gave her an amused look, and Judy massaged her temple.

To be fair, she should have expected this. Bunnies had a certain (justified) reputation, and while career bunnies were not unheard off- both male and female- an unattached bunny was pretty much a sensation. Judy was a sensation in her own right, but, looking back, she should probably have clarified a few points with her parents before she started gushing over some guy she'd met.

Well, maybe not gushing. Gushing was not the word to describe how she talked about him, she was sure. Nevertheless, she looked her mother square in the eye.

"Mom, I am not dating Nick, he's my best friend."

Her mother seemed genuinely perplexed.

"Well yes, who else would you want to date?"

Judy opened her mouth, then closed it. She was sure there was a perfect retort to that, but having never actually dated anyone she couldn't think of any.

She was saved by the arrival of a number of her siblings. The flood was spearheaded by her sister Charlotte, budding thespian and designated ringleader of the younger brood. Dragged, and partially carried, by her siblings was a rather bedraggled fox, Hawaiian shirt rumpled and tie out of place. Despite the recent conversation, Judy stifled a giggle when she saw the relief blossoming in his eyes at the sight of her.

"Mom, Nick is hungry" Charlotte declared. Nick tried to protest, but Bonnie gave Judy a knowing look.

"Good with children" she observed airily. "Always a good sign."

Before Judy could retort to that either, she was shocked into silence by the arrival of her father. To her horror, she realised he was carrying a pair of fishing rods, holding one of them up before Nick.

"Oh. Oh, good morning Nicholas. Ready to go? The trout bites early around here."

"You can't take him fishing!" Judy blurted out. Under no circumstances could she allow her father to take him there. Stu would start talking about marriage, and kits, and whatnot, and Nick would be confused, and then he'd think she was in love with him, and... and... both of them were looking at her...

"Why not, Jude the Dude?"

"Because... Because I have to take Nick to Makeout Creek right now!" She shouted, panicked.

A dead silence fell over the room. Her parents were staring at her. Her siblings were staring at her. Nick, blinking slightly, was staring at her. She cleared her throat and continued:

"Which is where I decided to become a police officer, making it a place I think he would be interested in seeing, _is what I was going to say next!_ "

Stu looked like he was about to argue, but his wife put a hand on his shoulder, firmly.

"That's perfectly all right, dear" she said gently. "Pack some breakfast for Nick and yourself, then go to Makeout Creek to... enjoy the sights... as it were..."

As the still confused Nick was dragged out by her swarm of siblings, Judy rubbed her eyes. For a fraction of a second, she yearned for the days when her parents had only tried to set her up with other _rabbits_.


	6. Chapter 6

Makeout Creek was one of those institutions that occur naturally in any rural community with a significant population of teenagers. In places with a good literary course it might be referred to as The Lover's Tree. In places with a more limited education concerning language (and, as it were, basic biology), it might be simply referred to as Hump Hill. Nevertheless: A need arises, particularly in a rabbit community, for a place to cultivate those aspects of lagomorph courtship which are rather awkward to practise in front of one's parents.

This was all rather theoretical to Judy, who had stopped frequenting the place roughly at the same time her peers had taken an interest in it. After she'd entered middle school she'd only visited the place once, when a nervous young buck had invited her to a study session. While he'd originally been quite enthusiastic at her reply, his zest had inexplicably dwindled when she'd shown up with a backpack stuffed full of textbooks. Since then she hadn't set foot in the place. And now she was twenty-five years old, and she had brought a boy to Makeout Creek.

More specifically, a boy called Nick Wilde.

It was a sunny day. They'd flopped down by the bosky banks of the creek, eating the light breakfast overzealous siblings had packed. He was sporting his usual green, she was dressed in her comfortable pink flannel shirt and straw hat. The fox was lying in the grass with his arms behind his head, chewing a leaf of grass lazily as he stared across the water. Judy did her very best to match his carefree attitude, but on the inside, her mind was racing.

Her mother thought they were dating. Scratch that, her mother thought they were in a relationship, the type of relationship that didn't require two beds. The kind of relationship which, in Bunnyburrow, unavoidably led to marriage.

This wasn't a homecoming.

It was a meet-the-parents-what-are-your-intentions-towards-my-daugther kind of weekend.

Judy groaned inwardly. _Why_ had she been so forthright with her parents? Why had she told them about the movie nights and going dancing at Gazelle concerts? It had seemed so natural to her, so she hadn't consider the way it might look to other people. Now she was stuck here for another day at least, and there was no way she was going to be able to keep all this from Nick. He couldn't be alone with her parents, she decided. Why, if Nick found out, he'd... he'd...

Wet his pants laughing.

Judy raised herself on her elbows, suddenly struck by the realisation.

Yes, of course. Nick knew there was nothing going on between them. It'd be embarrassing as heck, but once she explained the situation to him, they could clarify things with her parents together. Sure, her mother might be disappointed, but that was really her fault for assuming things. When you thought about it, the victim here was her, Judy. Nick might be on board with explaining things to her folks, but he was liable to tease her about this for _months_.

Judy relaxed.

Why had she made such a big deal out of this? She’d explain things to Nick, and then the fox could make it crystal clear to everyone that he wasn’t at all romantically interested in her. And then maybe spend a few months cracking jokes about how ridiculous it was to think the two of them would ever be a couple.

She stared out over the water for a little while.

Okay, so there must have been something wrong with those zucchinis, because she suddenly felt a little sick...

Nick sighed, and pulled the straw from his mouth.

"Why don't you just say it?" He asked, not looking at her. She jumped a little.

"S- say what?" She stammered. Why did she stammer? Nick looked at her, curiously.

"The reason you became a cop? That's why we're here, right?"

"Oh. Right." Judy relaxed a little. "Well, long story short: Makeout Creek is where I decided I was going to be a cop."

"Must have been a _heck_ of a buck" Nick remarked.

"It wasn't a buck."

"Yowza! Details, please!"

"It wasn't a doe either, you perv" Judy said, rolling her eyes. "It was Parker the Police Parakeet."

Nick lay his head down in the grass again, furrowing his brow.

"That weird comic about talking birds?"

Judy looked at him with a grin, inner conflict forgotten in her excitement.

"You've heard of it!"

"A little after my time, but sure, I've heard of it. What about it?"

Judy lay back on the grass, watching the clouds pass high above the branches.

"Well, this is were I read them. Mostly. I mean, we all read them, but I liked this place. The older kids usually didn't come until evening, and it's very peaceful. Anyway. The whole concept was very silly: That birds were sentient, and could talk, and had a society just like mammals. And the plot was pretty dumb, I suppose. It was some silly place where you sang a little song and all your insipid little dreams magically came true."

Nick glanced at her; that last line had seemed a little out of place, but Judy seemed lost in some distant memory. She quickly shook her head, continuing:

"But that was sort of it, they _had_ dreams. That was... is kinda rare around here. And they were all so focused on making those dreams come true. There was that one canary that wanted to be a pastry chef, a peregrine falcon that wanted to be a dancer, a merlin that wanted to be a magician... And Parker, who wanted to be a police officer."

"He was never that popular, was he?" Nick mused. "I got the impression everyone was rooting for that canary."

"Anyway" Judy said, ignoring him, "That's when I realised anyone could become anything. And lots of people become something. But if you can become anything, why not be something that makes the world better for everyone? Why not a police officer?"

"Like Parker the Parakeet?"

"Like Parker the Parakeet."

They lay in silence for a little while. Then Judy sighed.

"You think it's lame, don't you?"

The silence stretched out a little while longer, while Nick chewed on his straw. Then he plucked it out of his mouth.

"I don't think you're lame, Carrots."

She glanced over at him. He appeared to be inspecting the straw.

"First of all, you were a kid. Comics are where most kids get their dreams, most people just abandon them. Second of all, it's a good dream. And third- talking birds aren't lame."

He tossed away the straw.

“Sure, you can say stories about talking birds are a little childish, but it lets you discuss things you normally can’t talk about. Take... actually, take the whole predator-prey issue, for instance. You can’t have a single debate about it without people falling back on preconceived notions, and then getting very huffy about it. But act out something similar with talking birds? Then everybody sees that meaningless divisions are, well, meaningless. Imagine if those birds judged each other by... by..." he cast about for a word. "The length of their beaks, for instance. Or the colour of their feathers."

Judy giggled.

"Nick, why would anyone care what _colour_ someone is? I mean, no offence, but prey fearing predators makes a little sense. You've got claws and fangs and all, you know? But colour? Why would a white cat ever be afraid of a black cat?"

Nick shrugged.

"Meh. Someone would find a way to make it work, I'm sure. And once it's accepted, it becomes reality. It's as simple as that. My point is, when you're not in the middle of something, you suddenly see things in a whole new light."

He stared into the blue sky.

"If more Ranger Scouts had read stuff like that" he added, almost to himself. "I might have been a very different fox."

They lay there for a while, staring up at the bobbing branches.

"Do you ever think about that? What your life would have been like, I mean?"

"Sometimes" he admitted. "How about you? Ever imagine a life where you never heard of parakeets?"

"Sometimes, sure."

"You think we'd still have become friends?"

She propped herself up on an elbow, looking down at him. He turned his head, paws on his stomach, looking at her. She smiled.

"I think we'd be the best of friends" she said, firmly.


	7. Chapter 7

When they returned to the farm, they were holding paws.

It wasn't intentional. She'd grabbed his paw to drag him over to a small pool so he could see the carps, and they'd kinda kept the grip on one another as they stood there. For some reason, neither of them actually commented on it.

She was regretting it now, though. Her mother was in the yard, washing what Judy recognised as her old Carrot Day costume. She was a little worried about how Nick would react to the play she'd written in elementary school, but right now she was more concerned about what her mother would think of the paw-holding. She dropped the paw she was holding like she had burnt herself, not seeing the brief look of hurt that flashed across her friend's face as she did so. Bonnie had a knowing look on her face, and Judy did her very best to match it with a nonchalant one.

"Oh, hello Judy" her mother remarked casually. "Did you and your friend have a good time at Makeout Creek?"

_Ten years_ , Judy thought, still forcing herself to smile. _I'll bet you half a nickel she's been waiting ten darn years to say that sentence._

"Oh, it was wonderful" Nick supplied, stepping smoothly into the conversation. "Never really had a picnic breakfast before."

Charlotte appeared on the terrace and spotted them. Nick gave her a little wave, but she turned away and walked into the house again. Judy could see Nick's smile falter for a moment, and made a mental note to have a talk with her sister later. First, however, she needed to set her mother straight, preferably without alerting Nick to the topic of conversation.

Before she could open her mouth, a swarm of rabbit children flooded into the courtyard.

The group was spearheaded by Charlotte, who was holding what Judy recognised as one of her old children's books. Ignoring mother and sister, the child offered the book to Nick, flaunting it at him like a badge.

"Read to us, Judy's fox" she declared.

Judy glanced from doe to fox. Nick coughed, embarrassed.

"I... may have read a little bit to Edwin last night, when he couldn't sleep" he confessed.

Judy blinked at this. Edwin had been born only a short while before she went to the Academy, so she'd never spent much time with him. He was a constant worry for her parents, though, and she knew he didn't attach himself to people easily. Or at all.

Bonnie Hopps was more concerned about her children's manners, however, and glared angrily at the nine year old.

"Charlotte Gazelle Hopps, is that how you address a guest?"

Charlotte ducked her head briefly, then looked up at Nick again.

" _Please_ read to us, Judy's fox?" She asked, a little more hesitantly.

Bonnie gave him a shy smile.

"It's always like that with the little ones, dear" she confided to him. "What one gets, they all want. Do you mind terribly?"

"No, no" Nick hastened to reassure her. He eyed the fluffle nervously. "I'll be happy to read to them. So... are we doing this here, or in the living room, or...?"

Whether Charlotte functioned as a leader or simply a spokesbunny was difficult to tell, but the fluffle seemed to work on its own, unspoken accord. The moment Nick had acquiesced, they swarmed him en-mass, climbing over him and pulling him to the door. The fox struggled feebly.

"Carrots, help me!" He cried, panicked. "I'm drowning in adorable Hopps's!"

"Be sure to finish up soon, Charlotte" Bonnie called after them. The claws of the fighting fox made long streaks in the ground as he was dragged to the door. "You have a big play tomorrow, and mister Onic wants you in for rehearsal this evening."

As quickly as they had come, the fluffle departed. Only the claw marks on the ground and an eerie silence remained to suggest they had ever been there. Bonnie Hopps inspected her washing critically, then nodded.

"Perfect" she declared. She then glanced at her daughter, who was rubbing her eyes. "What is it, honey? Don't you recognise your old costume?"

"That's... that's all you have to say?" Judy replied, wearily. "Your children just kidnapped a mammal right in front of you, and all you say is 'don't be late for rehearsal'?"

"Mister Onic grows prickly if people are late, honey. You remember, surely?"

"Of course he gets prickly, he's a hedgehog!" Judy remarked, exasperated. "Look, should we... Help the poor guy or something? I don't remember my siblings being so... Locust-y."

Bonnie Hopps clucked her tongue, gathering the costume over one hand and walking towards the door.

"Don't be so dramatic, honey" she called over her shoulder. "I'm sure they'll have your boyfriend back in one piece."

Judy groaned. It seemed her little outing had only been a temporary reprieve from this debate.

"Look, this has to stop" she remarked, as she entered the kitchen after her mother. "I told you, Nick isn't my boyfriend."

"Yes, you mentioned that, honey. He's a boy friend. With a space in the middle. Oh, hello Edwin. Drawing a little?"

The young kit glanced up from his drawing and looked silently from one doe to another. Crayons and paper was spread across the table, pilling up against an old crystal vase filled with petunias. Judy pressed her paw against her forehead in annoyance, and Edwin went back to drawing.

"Look, Mom, I can see how you might have gotten this _impression_ " Judy said, soothingly. "And I get what you're saying about how your partner should also be your best friend. But it doesn't mean _literally_ your best friend! You weren't best friends with Dad before you were married, were you?"

"Sure I was" her mother remarked, much to her surprise. "All through high school. The lovable fool never was good with girls."

Judy wrinkled her brow, perplexed.

"Seriously? You've never mentioned that. How did you-? I mean, when-? How did you go from being friends to being in love?"

"Oh, that was easy, dear. I just took him to that hill behind Makeout Creek."

"The hill behind Makeout Creek? You mean Hump Hi-? MOM!"

"Oh, shush, dear. Where did you think all these litters came from? And take your paws off your brother's ears. You only make things interesting if you make them forbidden."

Edwin looked up at his sister patiently, his head vibrating slightly as Judy pressed two shaking hands against his ears. When she removed them, he looked at her for a little while, then simply went back to drawing. Judy took a few deep breaths, trying to block out the mental image. Her face was feeling rather hot.

"Even if that's true- and I hope to forget it as soon as I can- it doesn't mean every girl who has a male friend end up marrying him."

"Of course not. It's just a little more likely when the two of them constantly make googly eyes at the other when they think the other person isn't looking."

"Mom, I do _not_ make- Wait, Nick makes googly eyes at me?"

Her mother turned to her with a surprisingly wicked grin.

" _Constantly_ " she said, with conviction.

Then she turned back to the sink, leaving Judy to mull things over. Edwin, sitting two feet away from the whole debate, lifted his drawing to look at it, critically.

"Well, either way, it's not going to work" she decided. "He's a fox, I'm a bunny."

"Since when do you care about any of that, honey? You're the one who stood up to us for Gideon Grey, and he cut you with his claws."

"It doesn't bother me, but it's going to bother _him_ " Judy retorted. "Look, I know Nick. He never lets people know they're getting to him. He's the Fort Fox of emotions. But the only reason he’s like that is because he’s lived his entire life dealing with prejudice. As far as he's concerned, the world is an inverted porcupine ready to prick any and all visible weakness. So even if he was making googly eyes-" she drew a deep breath, suddenly feeling a little rattled "- he is never going to admit that to me or _anybody else_ , because he doesn't want either of us to suffer through the stigma of an interspecies relationship."

There. She'd said it, and she wished she hadn't. All her life she'd faced every challenge head on, and it had been easier to pretend that this one didn't exist than admit that she had been afraid to face it. She became aware that her mother was looking at her, and she played with one of Edwin's crayons, embarrassed.

"Look, that time I came home, during the Nighthowler thing? I didn’t rush back to the city to help those predators -I mean, I was, obviously, but- I'd messed things up with Nick. I'd messed up bad, and for a little while it looked like I wasn't going to get another chance. Now I have that chance, and I can’t risk it all just because I-"

She paused, swallowing, then continued, perfectly calm:

"He is what he is, and he's my best friend, and if that's all I'm going to get, well... I'll settle for that."

The crayon moved back and forth in her paw, until it was covered by an another, older paw. Judy looked up at her mother, trying to hold back tears.

"So... you do love him?"

Judy looked at her, and shrugged.

"Does it matter?"

Mother and daughter stood in silence for a little while. Then Bonnie patted her daughter’s paw and returned to the dishes. Judy sighed, leaning her elbow on the table, morosely pushing a crayon back and forth. Now that she had actually said the words, now that she had actually spelled it all out for herself, she felt rather empty. There was an ache in her stomach that hadn't been there before, and now she wasn't quite sure how she could get rid of it again.

Sitting next to her, unperturbed by romantic drama, Edwin inspected his drawing with great severity. Folding his tiny paws on the table before him, the kit tilted his head back and reflected over the complexity of life, the infinite possibility of the universe. Like a general before the battlefield, he weighed his options carefully.

Then he shot out an arm and pushed the vase off the table, shattering it.

\---

Nick groaned. Halfway through the action, it became a yawn.

"Kid, this has got to stop" he grumbled. "I'm seriously missing out on beauty sleep here."

"Was hungwy!" Edwin said, defensively.

"Yes, well, if you hadn't decided to break Granny Hopps' vase you could have had dinner with the other kits and I could be asleep! Why'd you do something like that, anyway?"

In lieu of replying, Edwin daintily bit down on a celery stick, munching it with the seriousness and ritual of a priest performing funeral rites. Nick stared at the little buck, then rested his chin in his paw, eyes drooping. Once more, it was two in the morning, and they were in the little kitchen close Judy's room. Yet another night in the chair had not appealed to him, but right now he yearned for that uncomfortably padded chair. Bereft of it, it appeared to him to be a fluffy cloud of comfort, an infinitely soft bed where he could drift off into the arms of Animorpheus, the dream mammal... He rubbed his eyes.

"Edwin, you do know I'm leaving the day after tomorrow, right? You're going to have to start talking eventually."

Edwin considered this, chewing on some pickled cabbage. Then he shrugged, returning his attention to his meal. Nick sighed, and pinched his nose.

"Look, kid, I'm going to square with you: I've been were you are. I was... actually a little older than you are. Never mind the reason, but for a year I didn't talk. And it really hurt the people around me, like it's hurting the people around you. Do you understand?"

The kit looked into his plate for a moment, then nodded. Nick was about to breath out in relief when this assent was followed by:

"E'win talk when fox talks."

Nick threw up his arms in frustration.

"Kid, I talk all the time! I'm 'mister smooth-talker', that’s what people _actually call me!_ Then they call me some other things I'm not going to repeat in front of a four year old, but I talk! Ceaselessly and articulately. Why, I-!

"Fox don't tell Judy he likes her."

Nick froze, his arms still up in the air. For a moment, the kitchen was silent except for Edwin's patient eating. Nick slowly lowered his arms, looking at him.

Was he really that transparent? Had he spent so much time with officer goodie-goodie two-paws that he could be called out by a child in a onesie? He'd once spent a memorable summer passing himself off as a rhino with a growth disorder, and all he'd needed was a hat, a singlet and a number two pencil. And now he was reduced to this. Did everybody know? This was disturbing. This was provocative. This was...

He narrowed his eyes.

This was oddly familiar.

"Oh, I get it, this is the ol' Hopps Hustle, isn't it?" he remarked, folding his arms on the table. "Somewhere in that green atrocity you call clothing there's a recording carrot or turnip, or what not. Fool me once, shame on Hopps. Fool me twice, shame on fox!Which of your siblings put you up to this?"

Edwin merely looked at him. Nick flopped back in the chair. 

"Alright, do your silent thing. You want me to talk to Judy? Sure. But I'm not rocking the boat for a 'pass the turnips, please'. If you want me to do that, you'll have to talk as much as... as..."

"Charlotte?" Edwin suggested, seemingly off-hand.

Nick rubbed his eyes. He'd barely gotten any sleep yesterday and it looked like he wasn't getting any tonight. He was so sleep deprived he didn't even noticed the figure in the doorway. He nodded.

"Alright, sure. Pull a Charlotte, and I'll tell Judy" He said, wearily.

"Tell Judy what?" Asked Judy from the doorway, flipping on the lights.


	8. Chapter 8

The aluminium can flew through the light rain, making a smooth arch towards the trashcan. It pinged two times around the edges, reflecting the shine of the streetlight on each trip, then fell in. Judy shrieked with delight, and threw her arms into the air.

"Beginner's luck, Carrots" Nick remarked from below her.

She puffed out her cheeks, looking mock annoyed, and leaned down to look him in the eye. She was sitting on his shoulders, legs arounds his neck, and he was carrying her home. The streets were nearly deserted, save the odd nocturnal mammal daring the drizzle. It was her twenty fifth birthday, and she was happy. Right now, however, she was trying to be annoyed.

"You're jus' jealous 'cause you can't hit the trashcan like I can" she said, vaguely aware that she was slurring her words. Nick chuckled.

"Easy there, birthday girl. If I'd known you were such a lightweight, I wouldn't have suggested that last round. Even Clawhauser thought you had it under control until you started singing Gazelle songs."

" 'S all right" she slurred, straightening herself up again. "I love you guys. I love Gazelle. I love birthdays. And I love _you_ , Nick!"

She leaned forward again, pushing her torso between his triangular ears. She managed to kiss the top of his muzzle, and Nick chuckled.

"I know, I know, I love you too, Fluff..."

It was just a standard phrase. They often said it to one another, but for some reason, when he said it now, in the rain, it made her heart thump and a warmth seep up through her stomach. She grinned stupidly to herself for the rest of the way, swaying to and fro.

He carried her all the way up the stairs, to her apartment. She tossed him her keys and jumped down while he fiddled with the lock. Although usually quite agile, she landed clumsily and banged her bottom. He looked at her with concern, but she just laughed, pushing herself up until she sat with her back against the wall.

"You all right there, Carrots? You seem a little off your game, as it were."

She waved it away, breezily.

"I'm fiiiiine" she said brightly, then looked up at him. "Very fine" she breathed.

Nick wasn't wearing his usual green shirt. In honour of the occasion he was wearing a salmon pink shirt and a grey blazer. Both of them were soaked through, making it very clear he wasn't wearing an undershirt. He leaned in closer, peering at her.

"I think maybe we should have stopped earlier."

"I don't" Judy replied cheekily, grabbing his tie and pulling him down. "I want my birthday present."

"I gave you your birthday present, remember?"

" 'want another."

"Okay, okay, anything for the birthday girl" he said with a laugh. "What do you want?"

Judy opened her mouth to reply, then pulled his head down by the tie until their lips met.

He was surprised at first, seeming neither to pull away nor protest. Then she placed a paw on his cheek, and he deepened the kiss.

He didn't try to talk. She was glad of that. She loved him talking, but this moment didn't call for conversation. Their tongues found each other between their lips, and she felt a thrill run down her spine when she realised how agile it was. He picked her up, and they swung into her apartment, closing the door behind them.

It was a perfect moment. A perfect, unspoken moment of bliss, trapped in amber for eternity, but here and now, more alive than anything she had ever felt. Her jacket was tossed on the chair, leaving her in the ridiculous pink dress Francine had helped her pick out. She pushed Nick on the bed, shirt half open, and was on top of him in a flash. He asked her something she couldn't make out, and she replied-

" _Sweet cheese and crackers!_ "

Judy sat bolt upright in bed, her heart beating like a class of tap-dancing gnus. Her ears stood stiffly upright, vibrating slightly, but even so it took her a little while to hear anything other than her own heavy breathing. Once the breathlessness had passed, and her eyes had adjusted to the darkness, she looked around her thankfully fox-free room and realised she wasn't in her apartment in Zootopia at all. She was in her old room in Bunnyburrow. She was home.

She flopped down against the pillow with a groan.

The birthday dream again. It was fading, but she still had it roughly twice a month. It was embarrassing to say the least, but whatever she did, it just would not stop.

But it didn't mean anything. It _really_ didn’t mean anything. She dreamt about all her friends.She dreamed about Bogo, nightmares where he made her fill out two thousand parking tickets before noon. Dreams about that time Clawhauser had tried his paw at a ballet recital. Dreams about having a high school exam with Bellwhether as her teacher. The one were she and Nick practised Yoga at the Naturali-

The point was, everyone dreamed about their friends.

Of course, not everybody dreamed about ripping their best friend's shirt off and tossing him on the bed, but....

She sighed, staring up at the ceiling.

_Why_ did her mother have to bring all this stuff up? She'd been happy! Why wouldn't she be? She was living her dream. She was making the world a better place. She had plenty of friends. She had a best friend she did everything with together. After all, what could be better then to wake up in the morning and go for a jog with Nick across Sahara Square, racing the camels, maybe stopping by that awesome smoothie place afterwards?

A small part of her suggested that maybe waking up _next_ to Nick would be even better, but she was quick to shush that part up. That was the bunny part of her. Nothing good ever came from listening to the bunny part of her, she was sure. Well, except maybe about three hundred Hopps siblings, if her mother's disturbing revelation was anything to go by, but that was no reason to indulge in thoughts about how waking up next to Nick meant she could press her face into his fur and breath in that deep, musky sc-

She squeezed her eyes shut, trying very hard to to suppress the image. Eventually it faded, along with her heartbeat.

Her mind drifted back, as it often did during times like this, to that scene under the bridge after she'd returned to Zootopia. She'd been so happy. She'd solved the case, she'd figured it all out. She could make everything all right again. 

And he'd just put down his sunglasses and walked away.

Judy wiped away a tear. It wasn't a pleasant memory, but by this time she could pretty well imagine how he'd felt when he'd stood there in the audience, listening while she decried predators as savages. Spoke about DNA with muzzles in the background. That was the downside about people opening up to you, she supposed. They became vulnerable. Every stupid thing you did became a stab in the back.

And Nick was vulnerable. Oh, he could stand up to larger animals and talk his way out of almost anything. He could laugh the world away with her, rain in their hair, but he was vulnerable. He'd given people his trust twice now, and both times they'd turned on him almost immediately. She couldn't risk it happening a third time.

_He makes googly eyes at you. Constantly._

She sat up in bed. The bunny part of her brain was cheering on that line of thought, but she ignored it. Did Nick really feel that way about her? He hadn't given any indications, but on the other hand, she hadn't actually dated, so how was she to know? It was true that they were a lot more physical with one another than normal, but that was just part of being close friends, right? She'd probably have done the same with Clawhauser, if he had been her best friend.

Well, maybe not Clawhauser, sweet though he was. Perhaps it would be more natural with a female friend, like that nice lynx girl at Snarlbucks, the one who always gave her extra cream in her latte, and had the most amazing-

Okay, stopping _that_ line of thought. Best to return to the thoughts of her foxy, musk smelling friend who... either was or was not in love with her...

She closed her eyes. Sometimes she wished her life was more like a Jack Savage movie: Ten poorly written sequences ending with an unlikely plot twist and a sweeping kiss. That'd settle things.

She could do without the meta-jokes though. Nick always had to explain them to her, and she still didn't find them funny.

Finally accepting the fact that she wasn't going to get any sleep, she got out of bed and padded into the hallway. She was dressed only in panties and a long t-shirt, but it wasn't like anyone was awake at this hour anyway. Maybe she could have a snack or something. She hadn't had any of her mom's home made cookies so far this visit.

Halfway to the kitchen, she frowned.

Someone _was_ awake. It was faint, but she could hear voices speaking softly from the kitchen. Something about... passing the turnips? Intrigued by the midnight debate, she snuck closer, peering in through the door.

Much to her surprise, Nick was sitting in the kitchen with Edwin. Her brother, who'd been sent to bed without supper, was eating large amounts of celery. Nick, looking rather bedraggled, was hunched over the table. While impossible, it almost looked like they were arguing.

"All right, sure" Nick said, rubbing his eyes. "Pull a Charlotte, and I'll tell Judy."

"Tell Judy what?" She asked, puzzled, turning on the light.

Nick jumped nearly a foot in the air, his tail bristling from fright. His expression was one of sheer terror, staring at her. Edwin just looked at her, finishing his celery.

When neither mammal made a move to answer her, she put her hands on her hips, looking sternly at them both.

"Well? Tell Judy what?"

Nick deflated a bit, then held up his paws in a conciliatory gesture.

"Alright Carrots, I'm not going to lie to you. Your brother Edwin can actually talk just fine, but he's keeping this a secret in order to execute schemes of what I now believe to be Machiavellian proportions. He’s currently utilising his surprisingly keen insight into the mammal mind to unmask the deepest, darkest parts of my soul."

Judy rolled her eyes.

"If you don't want to tell me, fine" she retorted, a little miffed. She headed over to the stove. "But that kit should be in bed. He's got a big day tomorrow. Come back afterwards would you? I'm making tea."

_That fox,_ she thought to herself as the tod picked up the waiting kit and carried him from the room. _He couldn't tell the truth if his life depended on it._

It was nice, though, having him visit her folks. It felt... right, sorta. Like two parts of her life was suddenly merging into one.

_Merging into one... now there's a pretty picture...._

_Shush, bunny-brain._

She filled the tea kettle, then put out a pair of tea cups. The cookies were the same place as always, but the tea was replaced with yerba mate. Who drank yerba mate? And where was the tea?

The tea appeared to be on the top shelf. Stretching herself on tip toes she managed to just reach it, even though her t-shirt rode up, exposing her pelvis.

There was a small gasp from the doorway and she spun around, tea in hand. Nick coughed, apparently trying to compose himself, lifting his gaze quickly. Had he been looking at her-? Did he-?

"So, Edwin's in bed?" he said, rubbing the back of his neck. He was very clearly not looking at her.

"Right" she replied, eyeing him carefully. Had he really been looking at her... tail? She proffered the tea, helplessly.

"There's camomile? If you want some?"

"Thanks, but no thanks, Carrots" he said, holding up his paws. "I'm beat. And the big Festival is tomorrow right?"

"Oh. Yeah, sure. We'll see each other then, I suppose. Oh, and mom wants you to look after Edwin tomorrow. He's taken a shine to you."

"Sure" Nick said, yawning. He scratched his belly, turning around. "He's a nice kid...."

"Nick?"

He paused in the doorway. Judy didn't look at him, but was carefully twirling the box of tea in both paws. She cleared her throat.

"Nick, do you remember my birthday?"

He blinked, surprised, then sniggered.

"Kinda hard to forget, isn't it? Why? Still thinking about what happened at the end?"

Judy felt her ears grow pink.

"Yeah" she mumbled, not even able to look at him. He sighed.

"Look, Judy, you got a little drunk, you asked for another birthday present, and then you opened your mouth and vomited all over my tie. I fetched you some water and you went to bed. Don't beat yourself up about it. Seriously, it happens."

"Yeah, I know, I know" she said, still not looking at him. "I'm just... Nick, what did you think I was asking for? As a second birthday present?"

He shrugged.

"Dunno, an aspirin for the morning? What?"

She stared at the tea for a little while, then looked up with a slight smile.

"I can't remember. Must be the beer, huh?"

"Yeah, that stuff will get to you. G'night, Fluff."

"Goodnight, Slick."

The fox left the room, yet another possibility left unused. Judy just stood there, waiting for the tea kettle to boil while the part of her that was most bunny groaned in frustration. Then the water was ready, and Judy glanced at the cookies.

_Well, comfort food, here I come..._


	9. Chapter 9

"The show must go on!"

Stephen Onic, retired long distance runner and local director for performing arts, paced restlessly before his actors. The hedgehog wore a blue suit with red shoes, a garish combination that made most mammals' eyes water. He held up a finger dramatically.

"I know one thing in life, one big thing, and that is it: That the show must go on! And it must be made in the style of its visionary! Is _Hamlet_ still _Hamlet_ without the pigs? Is _Equus_ still _Equus_ without the horses? Would anyone watch _My Fair Laddie_ by Claw if it didn't feature a Scottish dachshund? No! And so I say to you, we will put up the immortal play of Judith Hopps precisely as it was! We shall regain the past! Are you with me, my brave troupe?"

There was silence for a little while. Then a jaguar cub put up his paw.

"I need to go potty" he said, quite plainly. Nick snorted.

He was sitting on a makeshift bench in a barn, where some sort of play was being prepared. Edwin was sitting on his lap, silently eating some Cotton Swill. The hedgehog seemed to deflate a bit. 

"Yes, er... Yes. Yes, go potty Edgar. Does anyone else need to go potty?"

The remaining two actors raised their hands, and the hedgehog groaned, waving them all off. As the children filed off the stage, Nick got up to approach the hedgehog.

"Pushing them a little hard there, aren't you?" he remarked. Mister Onic glanced up.

"Who-? Oh, right, you're that police fox ms. Hopps brought, aren't you?"

"Indeed!" Nick said brightly. "Technically it's _mister_ 'that police fox ms. Hopps brought', but we abbreviate. Anyway. She sent me here to check on Charlotte, but she doesn't seem to be around."

If the prickly producer noticed the barb, he didn't show it. He waved a tiny paw irritably in the direction of the stairs.

"Ah, the diva. I'm letting her cool off in the hayloft. She's sulking because I won't let her go out in the festival before the show."

Nick hesitated.

"Seems a bit cruel, don't you think?"

The hedgehog pulled himself up to his full height, looking up at Nick. Edwin tilted his head to look down at him.

"Now listen, mister That Police Fo- I mean, listen, sirrah: I know one thing in life and one thing only, and that is that-"

"The show must go on, yes, yes, I heard the speech" Nick said, holding up his paw. Pompous characters were fun to deflate, but he was being on his best behaviour and it was probably best not to tear into the local eccentrics with a kid present. With the still eating kit in tow, he walked up the stairs while mister Onic sought out his wayward troupe.

Edwin, by contrast, was not on his best behaviour. First he'd insisted that they get some Cotton Swill, something that sounded quite disgusting. Then, when they'd found a place selling it, he'd changed his mind and wanted to see the corn maze. After that he'd wanted Cotton Swill again, but the family of pigs selling it had moved. Fortunately, they'd moved right outside the barn with the stage in it, so Nick was able to kill two birds with one stone. He kinda wished he'd gotten to spend a little more time with Judy during the day, but apparently it was all hands on deck on days like this. The least he could do was look after Edwin and Charlotte.

Charlotte rather looked like she could use some looking after. She was sitting on a hayball in the corner, quite dejected. The doe was wearing what was probably meant to be a child's impression of a police uniform, twirling her little hat. Nick wasn't quite sure what the play was about, but so far he'd also seen a jaguar in a leotard and a sheep in a spacesuit. He had a feeling he was going to have joke material on Carrots for _years_.

But first, another bout of Parental Nick. He gave Charlotte a little wave.

"You all right there, kid?"

"Yeah, I guess" she said morosely. He sat down next to her.

"Is that Onic character annoying you?"

"No, no..." She twirled her hat again. "He's probably right, it's best if I stay here. The show must go on..."

"You know, that phrase really seems out of place with a four child production" Nick remarked, but Charlotte continued her flunk. Nick looked helplessly at Edwin, who offered his sister some of his horrid snack.

Much to Nick's surprise, Charlotte's ears flew up at the sight, standing taunt on the top of her head.

"Is that-? Where did you get that?"

"What? What are you- Oh, the Swill thing. I don't know, it's something Edwin wanted. There's a family of pigs selling them outside the barn. Why are you-?"

He wasn't able to finish. The girl jumped off the hayball and hopped to the window, opening it to look outside. Curious, Nick followed her.

There was indeed a group of pigs outside, selling their bizarre treat from a midnight-blue cart. They had seemed quite friendly to Nick, mother, father and son dishing out the swill. He couldn't imagine why Charlotte would-

With a start, he realised she wasn't looking at the cart. Rather, she was looking at the pig child. She leaned her arms on the windowsill and her chin on her arms, a dreamy expression on her face. Her ears fell softly down her back, and Nick could swear there were stars in her eyes.

"That's some pig!" Charlotte sighed, devouring the boy with her eyes. Nick blinked. Edwin ate his Cotton Swill in silence.

"Charlotte, are you... Are you in love with that piglet?"

Charlotte blushed, looking away. She fidgeted with her uniform in a way that reminded Nick very much of Judy when she was embarrassed.

"I don't knoooow" she crooned, her embarrassment revealing her porcine infatuation more clearly than any assent.

Nick looked from tiny mammal to tiny mammal. There was something heartwarming about how innocent it was. Not a thought in the world for speciesism or complications, just... bliss.

_Of course, they're both prey, so no one would mind as much_ , a cruel voice said in the back of his head. He ignored it, and pretend not to know what he meant by 'as much'. Instead, he looked around the little hayloft.

When he was very young, he'd sometimes sit on his grandfather's lap and hear stories about the bad old days. Of course, they didn't seem like bad old days, the way his grandfather told them. Outsmarting bear platoons in the war. Raiding chicken coops. Sneaking into beaver dams. And of course, deftly 'procuring' produce that careless rabbits left neglected in locked barns. One thing he had taken away from all that, in addition to a certain cheeky attitude towards laws and regulations, was the fact that there was usually a loading tube at the back of bunny barns. These were useful for dispensing grain or scurrying up in during the dead of night. Looking about himself, he noticed a small trapdoor, duly padlocked.

_Whelp, at least someone should have their little romance_ , he thought to himself. There was a small 'schnick' sort of sound as he extended his rarely used claws, and he bent down to fiddle with the padlock. Mister Onic could be heard ranting downstairs, clearly inspiring his newly drained troops. There was a click as the shoddy padlock popped open, and Charlotte turned around with a gasp.

"How did you-?"

"The hedgehog may know one big thing" he said severely. "But the fox knows many things. Now go get your pig!"

Charlotte squealed, and rushed towards the shaft. Then she rushed out of it again, hugging him around the waist.

"Thanks Uncle Nick!"

He chuckled. It was a definite improvement on 'Judy's Fox'.

"No worries. Just be back before the performance, or your sister will have my guts for garters."

"No problem! Thank you! Bye!"

Nick watched her go with barely concealed happiness. Edwin chewed his swill thoughtfully, then looked up at Nick.

"What's a garter?"

Nick thought for a moment.

"A type of hat" he decided, then jerked his head towards the stairs. "Now come on, lets go somewhere you can learn more age-appropriate words."


	10. Chapter 10

_"Where is she?"_

"Look, she was here earlier, so-"

"Mom, I don't think she's-"

Nick had finally gotten some time to himself, but much to his disappointment, he hadn't been able to track down Judy. He'd enjoyed the fair as best he could, trying to pretend he didn't see the occasional concerned rabbit face, or paws sneaking discreetly towards pockets that presumably hid fox repellant. While he was ready to reevaluate his opinion of Bunnyburrow, it really only applied to the Hopps family.

A large portion of said family was currently gathered in the barn where the play would be held. The seats were already full of waiting spectators, but nobody seemed to be on stage. Weaving through the mumbling crowd, Nick made his way behind the stage.

The three actors he'd seen earlier milled about uncertainly. Mister Onic seemed to be having a panic attack, breathing heavily into a very small paper bag. Judy was there, trying to console the high strung hedgehog, and even Bonnie Hopps was present, holding Edwin in one paw.

"What's going on?" He asked, baffled. Judy threw him an embarrassed look.

"It's, look, it's stupid, but it's Charlotte. She's gone."

"Gone?"

"Yeah! It's weird. It looks like someone forgot to lock the feed hatch, and she snuck out."

"Oh" Nick said, hollowly. "But... she'll be back right? Before the play?"

"The play is now!" Mister Onic moaned. "Oh, I bet she's with that Wilbur! When she's with that pig, she loses all perception of time. That's why I didn't want her to leave."

Ah. Nick hadn't thought of that. In hindsight, relying on the dependability of a prepubescent girl in love had perhaps not been his smartest move. Still, he couldn't help thinking that the hedgehog exaggerated.

"Well, you'll just have to postpone the show then."

"The show must go on!"

"So you keep saying" Nick said, wearily. "How are you going to do that without the lead role?"

"I'll... I'll think of something!"

Nick glanced up, his ears twitching.

"Think fast, I suspect the show just started."

There was, indeed, spooky music playing over the stereo. The crowd settled down as things began. The jaguar took up position, the sheep picked up her basket, but all eyes were suddenly on the figure shuffling towards the front of the stage.

"Edwin?" Bonnie Hopps shouted, aghast. "Edwin, come back here! It's not-"

The kit ignored her. Having arrived at center stage, he threw out his hands.

"Fear!" He declared, in a thin yet distinct voice. "Tweachery! _Bloodlust_! These were once the fowces that _ruled our lives..._ "

Judy's jaw fell open. So did her mother's. So did her father's. So, very briefly, did mister Onic's, before he rushed to his actors, whispering hurried instructions. Judy ignored him. Her brother was speaking. Very publicly. Very eloquently.

"He hustled me..."

Judy looked up. Nick seemed as surprised as everyone else, but rather than shock there was an expression of realisation on his face. He kept his eyes fixed on the play, but what he was saying didn't make any sense.

"He's doing Charlotte's part" Nick said. "He's pulling a Charlotte. The Swill! _That little tyke hustled me!_ "

\---

" - can become _anything_! Twank you, and go'nite!"

The crowd applauded. It applauded considerably more than it had when Judy had performed the same play years earlier, but she didn't care. If anything, she applauded all the harder, and whistled for good measure.

She could scarcely believe it. Edwin was talking. By some absurd miracle, her silent brother was talking. Her family was ecstatic, and her best friend- she glanced up- had apparently stopped talking. In fact, he wore an expression that bordered between panic and disbelief.

She pushed it out of her mind, rushing up the stage with her siblings to congratulate the young kit. Her mother was pressing him to her chest, tightly, and her father had released the waterworks. Tears of happiness gushed over the family scene, while mister Onic was shrieking about people getting off his stage. Judy laughed. She'd almost forgotten how crazy things could get out here.

The buck of the hour, however, seemed mostly unfazed by both tears and compliments. Instead, he squirmed out of his mother's paws, trying to look behind him. He fixed a stern gaze in the direction Judy had come from, and she followed his eyes, puzzled.

There was nobody there. Nick must have left.

She found him behind the little barn, sniffing around the loading chute. That also puzzled her. He rarely showed canine traits so openly, and she couldn't imagine him being interested in seeds. It was mostly unused anyway. The only one that would have used the thing recently would have been... Charlotte.

Warmth spread through her as realisation dawned. Two days. Two days had been all he'd needed to help her brother, and to bond with Charlotte too. Forty-eight hours was all he'd needed to turn their lives around, just like he had hers. If she had ever been in doubt about her feelings, she wasn't any more, feeling her heart swell as he sniffed the metal chute.

He startled suddenly, sniffing the air, then turned around to look at her guiltily. She grinned, leaning against the barn wall.

"I thought it was a little strange, the feeding chute being left open" she teased.

Nick held up his hands, uncomfortable.

"To be fair, Carrots, she was crushing hard and that blue hedgehog is _way_ too high strung. It was an act of kindness, really."

"I'm not arguing that" she said with a smirk. "So, did you teach Edwin the lines for the play? A little surprise for the family at the end of the weekend?"

He shook his head.

"No, that was all the little tyke's idea. In fact, thinking back, I'm pretty much convinced most of my actions this weekend have been orchestrated by him. And I think it's because, well-"

Nick looked at her. Then he looked at the sky. Then he looked at the ground. Judy watched him, puzzled. If she didn't know better, she'd think the fox was struggling for words.

Eventually he took a deep breath and said the last thing she expected:

"Carrots, for a year of my life I didn't talk. At all."

She blinked. He looked uncomfortable, but placed his hands on her shoulders.

"It was after the... incident. Look, I don't know why Edwin didn't talk, but I know why he's talking now, and I'm terrified that if I don't say something now, he might never say something again. Carrots, this is either the stupidest thing I've ever done, or the smartest, but.... Judy Hopps, I love you."

There was a pause while they looked into each other's eyes. It stretched out for a while, and eventually Judy waved a paw for him to continue.

"...and?"

"And.... that's basically it" he said, hesitantly. "I love you. Aren't you, I don't know, shocked or something?"

"Why would I be?" Judy replied puzzled. "We say that to each other all the time. Even back in the police cruiser, on our first patrol."

Don't let him see it gets to you, she thought to herself. Don't let him know your heart is fluttering. He's just your friend, and no matter how much you want to interpret whatever it is he's trying to say as love, don't let him see it. Nick pinched his nose.

"No, Carrots, I mean I want to take you out for dinner?"

"Okay? Back in Zootopia? We haven't had pasta in a while."

"No, Carrots, when I say dinner, I mean- Oh, to heck with it."

Suddenly, and quite to her surprise, he put his paws to her cheeks, cradling them. Before she could do anything, he'd leaned down his muzzle and kissed her.

Over the last year, Judy had occasionally allowed herself to reflect on what kissing Nick would be like, usually after one of her more embarrassing dreams. Would their height difference create a problem, for instance? Would their differently shaped muzzles make things difficult? These were the sort of things she would painstakingly think through, using them to prop up the large amounts of rationalisations and excuses she’d come up with, all related to why she shouldn’t jeopardise their friendship.

The sensation of Nick actually kissing her, however, was very different. It functioned as a bowling ball hurling towards her walls of excuses, pulverising them. As for her dreams, she could only weakly realise how imperfect they had been, unable as they were to capture the electric current running from fox to rabbit.

It probably didn't last more than a few seconds, but it felt longer. Nick pulled away, looking at her apprehensively.

"So... That kind of love, if you get my drift."

She simply stared at him, her mouth open. He coughed.

"So, erm, this is the part where you say you love me too?" He added, hopefully.

She would have answered him. She really would have. Regrettably, her brain appeared to have been flooded by molasses, leaving her quite speechless. Nick sighed, pressing a paw against his face.

"Oh, jeez... Okay, okay, I get it. Inappropriate, unwelcome. Making things awkward. Let's just... let's just pretend I didn't do that."

He started to walk away, shoulders slumped and tail tucked between his legs. Judy simply stood there, her mind trying to comprehend what had just happened, like a toddler banging a square peg against a round hole. Her bunny-brain, however, was acutely aware that yet another chance was about to slip though her paws, and jerked her into motion. She spun around, hopping after him as if he was a fleeing Duke Weaselton. He'd managed to turn the corner, walking into the crowd emerging from the barn.

"Stop that fox!" She yelled, and Nick froze, turning around. The crowd parted around him.

With a hopp and a skip, she pushed him and tripped him up, making him fall sideways. She caught him deftly in her arms, looking down at him for a change. Then, with all the grace and subtlety of a Jack Savage movie, leaned down to press a passionate kiss against those soft lips, right in front of a substantial part of Bunnyburrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We all have our flaws, mine is my love for writing abrupt endings.
> 
> Ladies and gentlemen, Bunnyburrow Blues! My take on Nick and Judy going to Bunnyburrow. It’s actually a story I wrote years ago, but for various reasons never got about to publishing. I hope you’ve all enjoyed reading it as much as I have enjoyed your many comments :)


End file.
